IVANOVO, February 14 (RIA Novosti) – Residents of the Ivanovo Region in central Russia collected more than $8,800 to pay for the eye surgery of a blind tigress from the local zoo, the zoo’s head Arkady Borzov said on Thursday.

“This money will be sufficient to pay for the Moscow surgeons' visit, the surgery itself and the purchase of all the necessary medication,” Borzov said, adding that the remaining sum will be spent on treatment for other animals.

Glyukoza, the 11-year-old tigress, was abandoned by her mother and soon began suffering health problems.

When only 10 percent of her vision remained, the zoo's staff, which is financed from the regional budget, turned to Ivanovo residents for help, and the needed sum was collected within just three weeks.

Glyukoza, who gave birth to nine cubs in eight years, will undergo the surgery no sooner than June.